Archive for the 'Polish Language' Category

Learn all the Polish New Year wishes online, in your own time, on any device! Join PolishPod101 for a special Polish New Year celebration!

Can you relate to the year passing something like this: “January, February, March - December!”? Many people do! Quantum physics teaches us that time is relative, and few experiences illustrate this principle as perfectly as when we reach the end of a year. To most of us, it feels like the old one has passed in the blink of an eye, while the new year lies ahead like a very long journey! However, New Year is also a time to celebrate beginnings, and to say goodbye to what has passed. This is true in every culture, no matter when New Year is celebrated.

So, how do you say Happy New Year in Polish? Let a native teach you! At PolishPod101, you will learn how to correctly greet your friends over New Year, and wish them well with these Polish New Year wishes!

1. How to Celebrate New Year in Poland

Like in many other countries, in Poland the New Year starts on the first day of January. But for Poles, the night preceding this day is the more important one. This is because it’s New Year’s Eve! Across the country, people host loud parties and banquets, which include lots of good food and drinks shared with a group of friends and family, of course.

Now, before we get into more detail, do you know the answer to this question-

What do Polish people call the night before the first day of the New Year in Polish?

If you don’t already know, you’ll find out a bit later. Keep reading.

Poles always celebrate New Year’s Eve quite noisily. There’s a legend explaining why this is so. According to an ancient prophecy, at midnight on the night of the turn of the 10th century the Leviathan, or Lewiatan, imprisoned by Pope Sylvester, was to wake up and destroy the world, spewing sulfur and fire. But, when the deciding moment came, the Leviathan didn’t break free, and, filled with joy, the people poured out into the streets, dancing, singing and drinking wine. Thus began the tradition of noisy, happy celebrations.

Just as in the legend, today Poles continue to celebrate the occasion with much grandeur. Throughout the evening on New Year’s Eve, also called wigilia Nowego Roku, Poles organized dance parties, gala dinners, house parties, and outdoor events in cities where people can enjoy free music played by the biggest stars in Polish music and cabaret.

The largest events are held on the Constitution Square in Warsaw, or Plac Konstytucji w Warszawie, and in the Cracow Main Market Square, or Rynek Główny w Krakowie, where the number of participants can reach as many as 20,000.

And at exactly midnight, or północ, the whole nation lights up as bright as day. People welcome the New Year with champagne and fireworks, setting them off not only at outdoor events organized by the city, but also in the streets in front of their houses. All across Poland people come outside to admire the fireworks, called fajerwerki, shimmering all around. Phones are constantly ringing, because everyone wants to call all their friends and family and be the first one to wish them a Happy New Year.

Did you know that Poles love offering good wishes to each other at every opportunity? If you go outside to watch fireworks, don’t be surprised if strangers hug you and tell you “Happy New Year!”, which in Polish is Szczęśliwego nowego roku!

Now it’s time to answer our quiz question-

What do Polish people call the night before the first day of the New Year in Polish?

They call it Sylwester. Do you remember the story about Leviathan the evil monster?

The pope named Sylvester I was the one who imprisoned the monster, and thus this day was named after him.

Happy New Year!
Szczęśliwego nowego roku!

2. Must-Know Polish Words & Phrases for the New Year!

1- Year

rok

This is pretty self-explanatory. Most countries follow a Gregorian calendar, which has approximately 365 days in a year, while in some cultures, other year designations are also honored. Therefore, New Year’s day in Poland could fall on a different day than in your country. When do you celebrate New Year?

2- Midnight

północ

The point in time when a day ends and a new one starts. Many New Year celebrants prefer to stay awake till midnight, and greet the new annum as it breaks with fanfare and fireworks!

3- New Year’s Day

Nowy Rok

In most countries, the new year is celebrated for one whole day. On the Gregorian calendar, this falls on January 1st. On this day, different cultures engage in festive activities, like parties, parades, big meals with families and many more.

4- Party

impreza

A party is most people’s favorite way to end the old year, and charge festively into the new one! We celebrate all we accomplished in the old year, and joyfully anticipate what lies ahead.

5- Dancing

taniec

Usually, when the clock strikes midnight and the New Year officially begins, people break out in dance! It is a jolly way to express a celebratory mood with good expectations for the year ahead. Also, perhaps, that the old year with its problems has finally passed! Dance parties are also a popular way to spend New Year’s Eve in many places.

6- Champagne

szampan

Originating in France, champagne is a bubbly, alcoholic drink that is often used to toast something or someone during celebrations.

7- Fireworks

fajerwerk

These are explosives that cause spectacular effects when ignited. They are popular for announcing the start of the new year with loud noises and colorful displays! In some countries, fireworks are set off to scare away evil spirits. In others, the use of fireworks is forbidden in urban areas due to their harmful effect on pets. Most animals’ hearing is much more sensitive than humans’, so this noisy display can be very frightful and traumatising to them.

8- Countdown

odliczanie

This countdown refers to New Year celebrants counting the seconds, usually backward, till midnight, when New Year starts - a great group activity that doesn’t scare animals, and involves a lot of joyful shouting when the clock strikes midnight!

9- New Year’s Holiday

przerwa noworoczna

In many countries, New Year’s Day is a public holiday - to recuperate from the party the previous night, perhaps! Families also like to meet on this day to enjoy a meal and spend time together.

10- Confetti

Konfetti

In most Western countries, confetti is traditionally associated with weddings, but often it is used as a party decoration. Some prefer to throw it in the air at the strike of midnight on New Year’s Eve.

11- New Year’s Eve

Sylwester

This is the evening before New Year breaks at midnight! Often, friends and family meet for a party or meal the evening before, sometimes engaging in year-end rituals. How are you planning to give your New Year greetings in 2018?

12- Toast

toast

A toast is a type of group-salutation that involves raising your glass to drink with others in honor of something or someone. A toast to the new year is definitely in order!

13- Resolution

postanowienie

Those goals or intentions you hope to, but seldom keep in the new year! Many people consider the start of a new year to be the opportune time for making changes or plans. Resolutions are those intentions to change, or the plans. It’s best to keep your resolutions realistic so as not to disappoint yourself!

14- Parade

parada

New Year celebrations are a huge deal in some countries! Parades are held in the streets, often to celebratory music, with colorful costumes and lots of dancing. Parades are like marches, only less formal and way more fun. At PolishPod101, you can engage in forums with natives who can tell you what Polish New Year celebrations are like!

3. Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions

So, you learned the Polish word for ‘resolution’. Fabulous! Resolutions are those goals and intentions that we hope to manifest in the year that lies ahead. The beginning of a new year serves as a good marker in time to formalise these. Some like to do it in writing, others only hold these resolutions in their hearts. Here are our Top 10 New Year’s resolutions at PolishPod101 - what are yours?

1- Read more

Więcej czytać.

Reading is a fantastic skill that everyone can benefit from. You’re a business person? Apparently, successful business men and women read up to 60 books a year. This probably excludes fiction, so better scan your library or Amazon for the top business reads if you plan to follow in the footsteps of the successful! Otherwise, why not make it your resolution to read more Polish in the new year? You will be surprised by how much this will improve your Polish language skills!

2- Spend more time with family

Spędzać więcej czasu z rodziną.

Former US President George Bush’s wife, Barbara Bush, was quoted as having said this: “At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict, or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, a parent.” This is very true! Relationships are often what gives life meaning, so this is a worthy resolution for any year.

3- Lose weight

Schudnąć.

Hands up, how many of you made this new year’s resolution last year too…?! This is a notoriously difficult goal to keep, as it takes a lot of self discipline not to eat unhealthily. Good luck with this one, and avoid unhealthy fad diets!

4- Save money

Oszczędzaj pieniądze.

Another common and difficult resolution! However, no one has ever been sorry when they saved towards reaching a goal. Make it your resolution to save money to upgrade your subscription to PolishPod101’s Premium PLUS option in the new year - it will be money well spent!

5- Quit smoking

Rzucić palenie.

This is a resolution that you should definitely keep, or your body could punish you severely later! Smoking is a harmful habit with many hazardous effects on your health. Do everything in your power to make this resolution come true in the new year, as your health is your most precious asset.

6- Learn something new

Nauczyć się czegoś nowego.

Science has proven that learning new skills can help keep brain diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s at bay! It can even slow down the progression of the disease. So, keep your brain healthy by learning to speak a new language, studying towards a qualification, learning how to sew, or how to play chess - no matter how old you are, the possibilities are infinite!

7- Drink less

Mniej pić.

This is another health resolution that is good to heed any time of the year. Excessive drinking is associated with many diseases, and its effect can be very detrimental to good relationships too. Alcohol is a poison and harmful for the body in large quantities!

8- Exercise regularly

Regularnie ćwiczyć.

This resolution goes hand-in-hand with ‘Lose weight’! An inactive body is an unhealthy and often overweight one, so give this resolution priority in the new year.

9- Eat healthy

Zdrowo jeść.

If you stick with this resolution, you will lose weight and feel better in general. It is a very worthy goal to have!

10- Study Polish with PolishPod101

Uczyć się języka polskiego z PolishPod101.com

Of course! You can only benefit from learning Polish, especially with us! Learning how to speak Polish can keep your brain healthy, it can widen your circle of friends, and improve your chances to land a dream job anywhere in the world. PolishPod101 makes it easy and enjoyable for you to stick to this resolution.

4. Inspirational New Year Quotes

Everyone knows that it is sometimes very hard to stick to resolutions, and not only over New Year. The reasons for this vary from person to person, but all of us need inspiration every now and then! A good way to remain motivated is to keep inspirational quotes near as reminders that it’s up to us to reach our goals.

Make decorative notes of these in Polish, and keep them close! Perhaps you could stick them above your bathroom mirror, or on your study’s wall. This way you not only get to read Polish incidentally, but also remain inspired to reach your goals! Imagine feeling like giving up on a goal, but reading this quote when you go to the bathroom: “It does not matter how slowly you go, as long as you do not stop.” What a positive affirmation!

5. Inspirational Language Learning Quotes

Still undecided whether you should enroll with PolishPod101 to learn a new language? There’s no time like the present to decide! Let the following Language Learning Quotes inspire you with their wisdom.

As legendary President Nelson Mandela once said: “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.” So, learning how to say Happy New Year in Polish could well be a way into someone special’s heart for you! Let this year be the one where you to learn how to say Happy New Year, and much more, in Polish - it could open many and unexpected doors for you.

6. How To Say Happy New Year in 31 Languages

Here’s a lovely bonus for you! Why stop with Polish - learn how to say Happy New Year in 31 other languages too! Watch this video and learn how to pronounce these New Year’s wishes like a native in under two minutes.

7. Why Enrolling with PolishPod101 Would Be the Perfect New Year’s Gift to Yourself!

If you are unsure how to celebrate the New Year, why not give yourself a huge gift, and enroll to learn Polish! With more than 12 years of experience behind us, we know that PolishPod101 would be the perfect fit for you. There are so many reasons for this!

Custom-tailored Learning Paths: Start learning Polish at the level that you are. We have numerous Learning Pathways, and we tailor them just for you based on your goals and interests! What a boon!

Marked Progress and Fresh Learning Material Every Week: We make new lessons available every week, with an option to track your progress. Topics are culturally appropriate and useful, such as “Learning how to deliver negative answers politely to a business partner.” Our aim is to equip you with Polish that makes sense!

Fast Track Learning Option: If you’re serious about fast-tracking your learning, Premium Plus would be the perfect way to go! Enjoy perks such as personalised lessons with ongoing guidance from your own, native-speaking teacher, and one-on-one learning on your mobile app! You will not be alone in your learning. Weekly assignments with non-stop feedback, answers and corrections will ensure speedy progress.

Fun and Easy: Keeping the lessons fun and easy-to-learn is our aim, so you will stay motivated by your progress!

In most cultures, it is custom to express gratitude in some way or another. The dictionary defines gratitude as follows: it is “the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness”. Giving a sincere, thankful response to someone’s actions or words is often the ‘glue’ that keeps relationships together. This is true in most societies! Doing so in a foreign country also shows your respect and appreciation for the culture. Words have great power - use these ones sincerely and often!

1. 12 Ways to say ‘Thank you’ in Polish

The magical words that can bring a smile to any face. For one day, truly mean it whenever you say these words, and see how this lifts your spirit too!

2- That’s very kind of you.

To bardzo miło z twojej strony.

This phrase is appropriate when someone clearly goes out of their way to give good service, or to offer you a kindness.

3- Thanks for your kind words!

Dziękuję za miłe słowa!

Someone paid you a compliment and made you feel good? That is kind of him/her, so express your gratitude!

4- Thank you for coming today.

Dziękuję za przybycie.

This welcoming phrase should be part of your arsenal if you’re conducting more formal meetings with Polish speakers. If you’re hosting a party, this is also a good phrase when you greet your Polish guests!

5- Thank you for your consideration.

Dziękuję badzo za uwagę.

This is a more formal, almost solemn way to thank someone for their thoughtfulness and sensitivity towards you. It is also suitable to use when a native speaker has to consider something you submit, like a job application, a project or a proposal. You are thanking them, in essence, for time and effort they are about to, or have spent on your submission.

6- Thanks a lot!

Wielkie dzięki!

This means the same as ‘Thank you’, but with energy and enthusiasm added! It means almost the same as ‘thank you so much’ in Polish. Use this in an informal setting with your Polish friends or teachers.

7- Teachers like you are not easy to find.

Nauczyciele tacy jak ty nie są łatwi do znalezienia.

Some phrases are compliments, which express gratitude by inference. This is one of them. If you’re particularly impressed with your PolishPod101 teacher, this is an excellent phrase to memorize!

8- Thank you for spending time with us.

Dziękuję za miło spędzony czas.

Any host at a gathering with Polish speakers, such as a meeting or a party, should have this under his/her belt! Use it when you’re saying goodbye or busy closing a meeting. It could also be another lovely way to thank your Polish language teacher for her time.

9- Thank you for being patient and helping me improve.

Dziękuję za cierpliwość i to, że pomogłeś mi się poprawić.

This phrase is another sure way to melt any formal or informal Polish teacher’s heart! Teaching is not easy, and often a lot of patience is required from the teacher. Thank him/her for it! It’s also a good phrase to use if you work in Poland, and want to thank your trainer or employer. You will go a long way towards making yourself a popular employee - gratitude is the most attractive trait in any person!

10- You’re the best teacher ever!

Jesteś najlepszym nauczycielem w historii!

This is also an enthusiastic way to thank your teacher by means of a compliment. It could just make their day!

11- Thank you for the gift.

Dziękuję za prezent.

This is a good phrase to remember when you’re the lucky recipient of a gift. Show your respect and gratitude with these words.

12- I have learned so much thanks to you.

Nauczyłem się tak wiele dzięki Tobie.

What a wonderful compliment to give a good teacher! It means they have succeeded in their goal, and you’re thankful for it.

2. Video Lesson: Learn to Say ‘Thank You’ in 3 Minutes

Wherever your destination may be, manners are necessary! In this respect, Poland is no different.

1- Dziękuję.
In Polish, “Thank you” is Dziękuję. You can emphasize Dziękuję by adding bardzo, which means “very much.” You could say Dziękujębardzo, which would be the equivalent of “Thank you very much”.

3- Dzięki.
Especially nowadays, a very popular phrase among friends expressing gratitude is Dzięki, which means “Thanks”. Please remember we can only use Dzięki among friends in an informal setting.

Cultural Insights

Quick Tip
By far, Dziękuję is the most common way to say “Thank you.” Remember, when in doubt, keeping it simple is your safest bet. You don’t have to worry about formal or informal situations. You can use Dziękuję with just about anyone, anywhere, and anytime. You can say Dziękuję when the waiter brings your food or drinks, when the clerk in the hotel takes your luggage to your room (of course, tipping won’t hurt either!), and when somebody welcomes you or congratulates you. His or her profession doesn’t matter; Dziękuję will always be an appropriate response.

On the run to Poland? Wait! You can’t go without some basic language phrases under your belt! Especially if you’re heading to meet your prospective employer! Either in person or online, knowing how to say ‘Thank you’ in the Polish language will only improve their impression of you! PolishPod101 saves you time with this short lesson that nevertheless packs a punch. Learn to say ‘Thank you’ in Polish in no time!

3. Audio Lesson: Survival Phrases - Thank You

Perhaps you think it’s unimportant that you don’t know what ‘Thank you’ is in Polish, or that it’s too difficult a language to learn. Yet, as a traveler or visitor, you will be surprised at how far you can go using a little bit of Polish in Poland!

At PolishPod101, we offer you a few ways of saying ‘Thank you’ in Polish that you have no excuse not knowing, as they’re so simple and easy to learn. The lesson is geared to aid your ‘survival’ in formal and informal situations in Poland, so don’t wait! You will never have to google ‘How do you say thanks in Polish’ again…!

4. ‘Thank You’ in 31 Languages

For the global traveler in a hurry, here are 31 ways to say ‘Thank you’! These are the first words you need to learn in any foreign language - it is sure to smooth your way with native speakers by showing your gratitude for services rendered, and your respect for their culture! Learn and know how to correctly say ‘Thank you’ in 31 different languages in this short video.

5. Why would PolishPod101 be the perfect choice to learn Polish?

However, you need not stop at ‘Thank you’ in Polish - why not learn to speak the language?! You have absolutely nothing to lose. Research has shown that learning a new language increases intelligence and combats brain-aging. Also, the ability to communicate with native speakers in their own language is an instant way to make friends and win respect! Or imagine you know how to write ‘Thank you’ to that special Polish friend after a date…he/she will be so impressed!

PolishPod101 Has Special Lessons, Tools and Resources to Teach You How to Say Thank You and Other Key Phrases

With more than a decade of experience behind us, we have taught thousands of satisfied users to speak foreign languages. How do we do this? First, we take the pain out of learning! At PolishPod101, students are assisted as they master vocabulary, pronunciation, and conversation through state-of-the-art and fun online learning methods. A library replete with learning resources allows for you to learn at your own pace and in your own space! Resources include thousands of video and audio recordings, downloadable PDF lessons and plenty of learning apps for your mobile devices. Each month, we add benefits with FREE bonuses and gifts to improve your experience.

We accommodate all levels and types of learners, from Absolute Beginner to Advanced, and PolishPod101 is free for anyone to sign up. However, you can choose to fast track your fluency with lesson customization and increased interactive learning and practicing. Upgrade to Premium, or Premium PLUS to enhance your experience and greatly expedite your learning. With this type of assistance, and pleasurable effort on your part, you will speak Polish in a very short period of time!

Best of all is that you’re never alone! We believe that practice is the holy grail of learning any new language, and we gear our courses to ensure lots of it. Enroll with us, and you gain immediate access to our lively forum where we meet and greet, and discuss your burning questions. Our certified teachers are friendly and helpful, and you are very likely to practice your first ‘Thanks!’ in Polish on him/her, AND mean it! Hurry up, and sign up now - you will thank us for it.

Learn 4 tools and techniques to stop translating in your head and start thinking in Polish

Going through Polish lessons is enough to get by and learn the basics of Polish, but to truly become fluent you need to be able to think in Polish. This will allow you to have conversations with ease, read smoothly, and comprehensively understand natives. To do this, you need to go beyond just completing daily or weekly lessons.

We naturally translate in our heads because it’s viewed as the easiest way to learn the definitions needed when learning a language. This way of learning can actually hinder your skills and fluency later on. If your brain has to make neural connections between the word you’re learning, what it means in your native tongue, and the physical object the connection will not be nearly as strong. When you bypass the original translation between Polish and your native language then there is a more basic and strong connection between just the Polish vocabulary word and the tangible object.

In this blog post, you will learn the 4 important techniques to easily and naturally begin to speculate about the daily occurrences in your life. The best part is all of these techniques are supported and can be achieved through PolishPod101.com.

By surrounding yourself with Polish constantly you will completely immerse yourself in the language. Without realizing it you’ll be learning pronunciation, sentence structures, grammar, and new vocabulary. You can play music in the background while you’re cooking or have a Polish radio station on while you study. Immersion is a key factor with this learning process because it is one of the easiest things to do, but very effective. Even if you are not giving the program your full attention you will be learning.

One great feature of PolishPod101.com is the endless podcasts that are available to you. You can even download and listen to them on the go. These podcasts are interesting and are perfect for the intention of immersion, they are easy to listen to as background noise and are interesting enough to give your full attention. Many of them contain stories that you follow as you go through the lessons which push you to keep going.

2. Learn through observation

Learning through observation is the most natural way to learn. Observation is how we all learned our native languages as infants and it’s a wonder why we stop learning this way. If you have patience and learn through observation then Polish words will have their own meanings rather than meanings in reference to your native language. Ideally, you should skip the bilingual dictionary and just buy a dictionary in Polish.

PolishPod101.com also offers the materials to learn this way. We have numerous video lessons which present situational usage of each word or phrase instead of just a direct translation. This holds true for many of our videos and how we teach Polish.

3. Speak out loud to yourself

Speaking to yourself in Polish not only gets you in the mindset of Polish, but also makes you listen to how you speak. It forces you to correct any errors with pronunciation and makes it easy to spot grammar mistakes. When you speak out loud talk about what you did that day and what you plan to do the next day. Your goal is to be the most comfortable speaking out loud and to easily create sentences. Once you feel comfortable talking to yourself start consciously thinking in your head about your daily activities and what is going on around you throughout the day.

With PolishPod101.com you start speaking right away, not only this, but they have you repeat words and conversations after a native Polish speaker. This makes your pronunciation very accurate! With this help, you are on the fast path to making clear and complex sentences and then actively thinking about your day.

4. Practice daily

If you don’t practice daily then your progress will be greatly slowed. Many people are tempted to take the 20-30 minutes they should be practicing a day and practice 120 in one day and skip the other days. This isn’t nearly as effective because everyday you practice you are reinforcing the skills and knowledge you have learned. If you practice all in one day you don’t retain the information because the brain can realistically only focus for 30 minutes at most. If you’re studying for 120 minutes on the same subject little of the information will be absorbed. Studying everyday allows you to review material that you went over previous days and absorb a small amount of information at a time.

It’s tough to find motivation to study everyday, but PolishPod101.com can help. It’s easy to stay motivated with PolishPod101.com because we give you a set learning path, with this path we show how much progress you’ve made. This makes you stick to your goals and keep going!

Conclusion

Following the steps and having patience is the hardest part to achieving your goals, it’s not easy learning a new language. You are essentially teaching your brain to categorize the world in a completely new way. Stick with it and you can do it just remember the 4 tools I taught you today! With them, conversations, reading, and understanding will become much easier. The most important thing to remember is to use the tools that PolishPod101.com provides and you will be on your way to being fluent!

Learn 4 honest reasons you need Polish slang words and why they are so vital to truly learning and mastering the language.

Teachers may normally cringe at the thought of their students learning Polish slang words. After all, slang words and phrases are typically defined as being grammatically incorrect. So why would your teacher want you to spend time learning the “wrong way” to speak Polish? Here are 4 of the top reasons why you should study slang words and expressions when learning Polish or any new language.

If you are going to study a foreign language and plan to use it to speak with native speakers, then you have to learn slang words and expressions. Otherwise, just using formal expressions and grammar may alienate you from native speakers and make it more difficult to establish a real connection. So it is best to at least learn some common slang words and expressions if you’re planning to meet or speak socially with someone.

2. Slang Words Are Used All Throughout Polish Culture

If you turn on any popular Polish TV show, listen to any song, or watch any movie, you are quickly going to see the value of learning Polish slang phrases. Just like everyday conversations between native speakers, Polish culture is filled with slang phrases and expressions. Without at least some knowledge of the more common slang phrases, popular culture and most conversations will be very confusing and potentially alienating.

Only relying on formal grammar and vocabulary is very limiting, especially in social situations. Just like in your native language, using the appropriate Polish slang words can help you express a broader range of emotions, thoughts, and feelings.

4. Proper Use of Slang Makes You Sound More Natural

We’ve all met foreigners who technically used formal language perfectly but still sounded odd and well….foreign. But when you use the right slang words and expressions, you will sound more natural and like a true native speaker. If you notice, even most politicians include a sprinkling of slang expressions and words throughout their speeches to help them sound more natural and to better connect with the audience.

The Dark Side of Slang Expressions

Learning Polish slang words can indeed help you sound more natural, better understand the people and culture, and make integration much easier. However, there is a dark side: using the wrong slang expressions can also make you look foolish, uneducated, and potentially disrespectful.

But how do you know which slang words or phrases to use and when?

The truth is that you can’t learn the most modern and appropriate slang words in textbooks or formal classroom settings. By the time the information gets incorporated into a formal curriculum, it’s already outdated and no longer in use by actual Polish people. And while you can learn current slang expressions from Polish TV shows, movies, songs, and games, you may not understand the context. If that happens, you may use the right Polish slang words but in the wrong situation and still look like a fool or possibly even offend someone.

So where can you learn current slang expressions and the right context in which to use them?

At PolishPod101, native speaking instructors create audio and video lessons that can include slang expressions and words. Our instructors provide context and examples for all the Polish slang words used in any lesson to make sure students understand the right time and place to use them.

Polish slang words and expressions may be grammatically incorrect but they are vital to truly understanding and immersing yourself in the culture. In fact, it will be very difficult to fully understand any movie, TV show, song, game, or even 1-on-1 conversation without knowing a few of the more common slang expressions.

However, it is important to learn the proper context and use of even popular slang expressions or you may come across as confusing, disrespectful, or uneducated.
At PolishPod101, you’ll learn how to use slang phrases and words to draw the right attention and avoid these problems.

Speaking is usually the #1 weakness for all Polish learners. This is a common issue among language learners everywhere. The reason for this is obvious: When language learners first start learning a language, they usually start with reading. They read online articles, books, information on apps and so on. If they take a class, they spend 20% of their time repeating words, and 80% of the time reading the textbook, doing homework or just listening to a teacher. So, if you spend most of your time reading instead of speaking, you might get better at reading but your speaking skills never grow. You get better at what you focus on.

So if you want to improve you speaking skills, you need to spend more of your study time on speaking. Here are five tips to help you get started:

1. Read out loud
If you’re listening to a lesson and reading along, read out loud. Then re-read and speed up your tempo. Do this again and again until you can speak faster. Try your best to pronounce the words correctly, but don’t obsess about it. Read swiftly, emote and put some inflection on the sentences. Reading aloud helps to train the muscles of your mouth and diaphragm to produce unfamiliar words and sounds.

2. Prepare things to say ahead of time.
As you may know from experience, most learners run out of things to say. But, if you prepare lines ahead of time, you won’t be at a loss for words in conversations. This will help you not only to learn how to say the words, but how to say them in the right context. A good way to prepare yourself before conversations is with our Top 25 Questions Series, which teaches you how to ask the most common conversational questions, and how to answer them, in Polish:

3. Use shadowing (repeat the dialogues as you hear them).
Shadowing is an extremely useful tool for increasing fluency as well as improving your accent and ability to be understood. Shadowing helps create all the neural connections in your brain to produce those words and sentences quickly and accurately without having to think about it. Also, as mentioned in tip #1, shadowing helps develop the muscle memory in all the physical parts responsible for the production of those sounds. Depending on what your primary and target languages are, it’s quite likely that there are a lot of sounds your mouth just isn’t used to producing. Shadowing can be done, for example, when watching TV shows or movies or listening to music.

Each one of our lessons begins with a dialogue. Try to shadow the conversation line by line, and you’ll be mastering it in no time.

4. Review again and again.
This is the key to perfection, and we can’t emphasize it enough. Most learners don’t review! If you review and repeat lines again and again, you’ll be speaking better, faster and with more confidence.

5. DON’T BE AFRAID TO MAKE MISTAKES!
You’d be surprised by how many people try to avoid talking! The more you speak, the faster you learn – and that is why you’re learning Polish. Practice speaking every chance you get: whether it’s ordering coffee, shopping or asking for directions.

1. Ends Friday! Learn Polish with 26% OFF & a FREE Audiobook!
No school. No stress. Learn Polish at your pace and start speaking in minutes with effective lessons! ‘Til Friday only, get 26% OFF any 1- or 2-year plan and a BONUS Polish Audiobook as a 2-for-1 deal. You get access to 90+ hours of audio and video lessons by teachers, lesson notes, motivational progress stats, apps, study tools and more. Just $2.96/month and up to $62.40 OFF. Hurry! Ends Friday, 8/28/2015!

2. NEW Feature! Learn and Stay Motivated with NEW Achievement Badges
Learning Polish? You deserve recognition and motivation. So, if you’re a Premium PLUS member… you can now unlock new badges as your Polish improves. Your Premium PLUS teacher will give out badges as you complete weekly assignments. The result? You master more Polish, unlock badges for your progress, and stay motivated to keep going.

3. Here’s a Sneak Peek at the Newly Redesigned Word Bank!
We haven’t fully announced this yet… but here’s a sneak peek! The Word Bank – your personal collection of words and phrases – is better than ever. What’s new? First, a shiny new design. You can sort and manage your vocab and phrases with custom labels. And feel free to print out your entries as physical study material or export them as files! Not a Premium member? Take advantage of the 26% discount by Friday.

P.S. We’re giving you a BONUS 6.5-Hour Audiobook. Get 26% OFF by Friday!
No school or textbooks necessary to learn Polish! In fact, you get a FREE Audiobook when you get 26% OFF any 1- or 2-year plan. Master Polish in LESS time with this 2-for-1 deal! Unlock our learning system – over 90 hours of audio and video lesson by real teachers and more! Just $2.96/month and up to $62.40 OFF. Hurry! Ends Friday, 8/28/2015!

Did you start this year out with a resolution to learn Polish? Haven’t found time to make it happen yet? Well, with students everywhere going back to school this month… Now’s a perfect time to renew your dream of truly learning Polish.

Even if you’re a complete beginner. Even if you’re out of school…You can and will learn Polish with 90+ hours of lessons from real teachers. The Too Cool for School Sale at PolishPod101 starts today:

Start speaking Polish from your very first lesson and get our entire Polish learning system at 26% OFF! That’s just $2.96/month with Basic or $7.40/month with Premium and up to $62.40 in savings. So if you upgrade now, you instantly receive:

How does it work? And how will you learn Polish?
Learning Polish in a class simply isn’t an option for most of us with work, family and busy schedules. Between the excessive costs and the inconveniences of getting to class and working around someone else’s schedule, classrooms aren’t realistic.

But at PolishPod101, you get fun, effective and proven lessons from real Polish teachers. The entire learning system was designed to help you overcome the obstacles of traditional classes, because:

PolishPod101 is a Mere Fraction of the Cost of Classrooms

You Get 90+ Hours of Audio & Video Lessons from Real Polish Teachers

You Access Lessons & Study Tools With Your Computer or Any Mobile Device

That’s right: You learn whenever and wherever is convenient for you and at a pace you choose! And during the Too Cool for School Sale, just sign up for any annual Basic or Premium subscription by clicking on any link and we’ll instantly discount the price by 26%!

So for the next few days, that means you gain full access to our Basic plan for as low as just $2.96 per month or our most popular Premium plan for just $7.40 a month – a mere fraction of what you would pay for traditional classroom instruction!

Don’t Forget Your FREE Polish Audiobook!
Get the best of both worlds with real-life conversation and the in-depth explanations of a textbook! Listen to over 6.5 hours of lessons and read along with 200+ pages. You’ll get your free Audiobook instantly when you upgrade, inside the welcome email.

Remember, you get a 60-Day Money-Back Guarantee so if plans change or you are anything less than thrilled with our language learning system – we’ll promptly refund your entire order without any hassles or questions.

But hurry: Although it’s never too late to make a fresh start and realize your dream of learning Polish, the Too Cool for School Sale ends soon, so….

P.S. All subscriptions are fully backed by our 60-day money-back guarantee meaning you can lock in your savings now and if you later decide that you’re not learning Polish as fast as you’d like, then we’ll refund your entire subscription amount. You have nothing to lose but you have to ACT NOW before this Too Cool for School Sale ends!

When you’re learning Polish and want real progress…look for the consistent method. One that’s non-stop and keeps you going. What’s a good one? PolishPod101 Lessons – free audio and video lessons, every week. In fact, a new season of lessons has started this month that you can grab. Anything else? Vocab lists, where you learn new words and phrases all the time. And don’t forget that our 29% OFF Summer of Polish Sale ends Friday!

2. New Lessons Started this July – Here’s the 2015 Lesson Schedule!
Now, we know that you want more lessons. They’re non-stop, free and get you speaking more Polish in minutes. So, you should know that new lessons and seasons started on July 6th. What kind of lessons? And what days do they come out on? Check the publishing schedule. And if you want to get our entire system – over 90+ hours of lessons – grab the 29% discount above!

3. Free Feature Alert: Speak More Polish with Word & Phrase Lists
Here’s another non-stop way to boost your Polish – Polish Word and Phrase Lists. They’re based on holidays, current events and all-around useful topics. Our listeners learned how to talk about their summer plans in Polish with a recent list! Just click below, access any list and review with definitions, sample sentences and audio pronunciation.

P.S. Ends Friday! Get a HOT 29% OFF the Most Effective Polish Course!
Ready to master more Polish this summer? Get 29% OFF any plan and start speaking Polish with lessons by real teachers. Unlock our ENTIRE learning system – 90+ hours of audio and video lessons, mobile apps, lesson notes, study tools and more! Just $2.84/month and up to $69.60 OFF! Ends 7/31/2015!

The Summer of Polish is in full swing at PolishPod101. That means we’re helping thousands of people like you to learn Polish this summer! Yes, we are helping to make your dream of learning Polish easier and more affordable with a LIMITED TIME 29% OFF Basic and Premium.

With Premium, you get unlimited PolishPod101 access – All lessons, lesson notes, study tools, smart flashcards, apps and more – and dramatically reduce your learning time. Premium is our most popular plan and is the fastest track to learning Polish.

So essentially, if you are in no rush and want to learn Polish, then select Basic. But, if you want full access to more than a dozen time-saving tools and resources so you can learn Polish as quickly as possible, then Premium is best for you.

But no matter which plan you choose, you get a full 29% off any length Basic or Premium plan during the Summer of Polish sale. Don’t delay. This ends July 31st, 2015.

Your investment is 100% risk-free. Your purchase is backed by a 60-day money-back guarantee. If you’re not speaking Polish as fast as you’d like and if you’re not blown away by the results, simply contact us for a full refund. So what are you waiting for?

P.S. Stop “dreaming about your dream” of learning Polish and make it a reality by signing up during our Summer of Polish Sale. With Premium, you get UNLIMITED access to our Polish learning system and save up to $69.60 instantly!

One of the most important factors in keeping your motivation up is developing it into a habit. Whether it be 20 minutes or 3 hours, schedule time to study every day and stick to it. Regular exposure solidifies what you learn and keeps you progressing. To make sure you stick to your routine, a great idea is to build a schedule for your day and decide that every day/Monday/weekend, you study from 6pm to 8pm. Just remember that 30 minutes a day, every day, is better than a binge 8-hour study session at the end of the week (though it’s obviously better than nothing).

2. Learn a word a day with our great Word of the Day learning tool.

Trying to learn everything at once and getting overwhelmed by the sheer number of words in your new language is not a good idea. Sometimes, even if you do learn new words, you forget them quickly because you haven’t heard them enough in context. As mentioned above, daily exposure to new words is an important factor in solidifying your target language. Our Word of the Day tool delivers you daily words and phrases, shows you how to pronounce them and use them in different contexts. Since you can get the WOTD via email, Facebook, or Twitter, this is a passive way of learning a language that fits into your existing daily social media routine. It only takes 3 minutes to review a word and practice its pronunciation, so you can do it on the way to work, in the gym, or even before you go to bed.

If there’s a community of people who speak the language you want to learn in your city, start attending those events! Friendship is the easiest way to get comfortable with the slang, intonation, and mannerisms of a new language. The key to learning any language is speaking a lot, so try to find a native speaker who can be your conversation partner. Having friends that speak your target language means that you will find yourself in situations where you have no choice but to speak that language. But since they are your friends, you will be doing things you enjoy with them. So these situations will probably have little or no stress. These friendships will also mean that you have someone you can ask about language, culture, and so on.

4. Take a break!

If you’re having an off day or if your brain is already tired of studying, see if you can take a break and do something fun AND useful. Comic books, illustrated stories, and cartoons are a fun way to keep learning while reducing the target language text load for weary eyes. Plus, the images help you plant lasting seeds of memory, as researchers say humor opens up cognitive doors. This is a way to keep the target language active in your brain without the strain of studying a textbook.

Don’t get stuck with the same content though. When things start to bore you, move on. Change up your books, movies, anime, music, dramas, and so on when they start getting old.

5. Don’t give up!

As with any goal, there are going to be pitfalls along the way. You’d have to be incredibly determined to never have an off-day or consider giving up. And when you do it’s ok, but the important thing is to pick yourself up after this temporary setback and keep going. Knowing you’ve overcome a few obstacles is only going to make the moment you have your first conversation in another language that much sweeter. Like the Polish proverb says, ‘Fall down seven times, stand up eight.’